The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-01
A SHADOWS ROMANCE.
DETECTIVE LOWELL TAKES PART
IN DRAMA IN REAL LIFE.
Plots and Counterplots and q Divorce
Suit Cause His Arrest for Black
mail-He is Proven Innocent and Ac-
dIljTta1


One of the most singular and remarkable
trials ever brought in New York, one full Of
plot and counterpart, ended last week in
throwing the prosecution out OF court, and
in acquitting the surprised and innocent de-
| PENDANT 1t was the end of a mysterious
drama in real life that moved simultane
ously in two cities, and involved STRANGE
medley of people, most of whom were I'm
seen and unknown to the others. 1t began
| in marital troubles in one city, with suit and
cross-suit for divorce, and ended in another
city in the acquittal of man on charge
of blac1mail
Mr.. Samuel j. Lowell of No. % Pine street
was substantial, grutf and hearty New
| Hampshire man. a descendant OF the Purl-
tan Lowells, who came from the west Of
| England. Fifteen years ago he was in the
secret service of the United States govern
ment. Retiring from that employment he
established detective agency near Wall
street and for twelve years was employed
| by various steamboat companies and many
| important business firms. He enjoyed an
| income of about $4,000 a year and stood
well in the opinion OF all who knew him,
| He was generous and in very quiet
way did some benevolent deeds, one
of which, i'll time of sore trial, Kke bread
cast on the waters, returned after many
| days.
| One morning in February, 1886, Mr.. j.
| Treadwell Richards of the firm of Richards
| & Brown counselorS at law, No. ~ Wall
street, sent for Mr.. Lowell and asked him to
shadow man named c. C. Sears, who lived
at Buffalo, but was at that time in New
| York city Mr.. Richards said he would meet
| Mr. Lowell at the Morton House and point
| out Mr.. Sears to him.
Nbo fI1o hot, hat f1ic
and while Mr. Sears was placidly smoking a
| cigar the lawyer pointed him out to the de-
| tective. Then the two men, whom Mi
| Sears had not seen, stepped out OF the hotel,
and Mr.. Richardson said to Mr.. Lowell that
| he wanted Mr.. Sears Swallowed and memo
| randa made of his movements. The de-
tective Swallowed Mr.. Sears through the
streets that night. Mr. Sears did not know
| that he was being watched, and Detective
! Lowell did not know why he was shadowing
| him.
| This. often happens with private detectives,
| for their reports are considered more &C
| cmate when they do not r now why they are
| shadowing a man-knowledge which
| might enable them to neglect their task
| and return an unimportant, fictitious mar
rative
Detective Lowell reported next day to the
| lawyers and said that he would not be able
| to shadow Sears all the time and would
| like to employ an assistant. The law firm
agreed. Detective Lowell departed and by
accident met Andrew j. Wightman, who
| formerly had been a detective, but at this
| time was a salesman for a wholesale liquor
house. He engaged Wightman to assist him
i'll the case.
Lowell and Wightman Swallowed Sears
that evening, Feb. TO-, when he left the
Morton House and strolled through the
street. They said that he dropped into
Theiss' Alhambra concert saloon at 10
o'clock in the evening, and after staying
half an hour, walked through Fourteenth
| street to Sixth avenue. They averred that
| near this well-known thoroughfare the man
who was Swallowed met young English
woman with bleached hair, and the two
| subsequently got on a Sixth avenue street
| car and rode uptown. They said the girl
| alighted from the car at Twenty-third street
| and Sears at Twenty-fourth street; that the
two met and went into the ST. Omer Hotel,
where Sears registered under an assumed
name, and were assigned to room No IS:
that he remained two hours, and then
left the hotel, and that the girl remained all
night.
Next day Mr. Lowell reported the state
| ments made above to Lawyer Richards
| Mr.. Richards asked who the woman was
| Mr.. Lowell said he did not know; he was
| not shadOwing any woman. Mr.. Richards
| replied that Lowell must find the woman at
| all hazards. Mr.. Lowell, who was somewhat
puzzled, said: 'All right; we will try to find
| her.n
Up to this time Detective Lowell had been
wholly in the dark in respect to who Mr.
| Sears was and why he was shadowing him.
| Lawyer Richards now told Mr. Lowell that
Mr.. Sears lived in Buffalo, and had COM
| menced in that city an action against his
wife for divorce on the ground of infidelity
the correspondent being a rich wholesale
merchant, who, Mr.. Sears claimed, was
York, and that Mrs Sears was about to
begin cross suit. Mr.. Sears had already
begun an action against the merchant for
100000 damages for alternating his wife's
affections
Detective Lowell spent five or six DAYS in
looking for the girl with the bleached hair
He met her on Fourteenth street one even
ing as she was going into Thesis concert
saloon. Another young woman was with
her. Lowell and Wightman went into the
| saloon, made the acquaintance of the young
woman, and invited them to take supper
| an invitation which they eagerly accepted.
| The two detectives and the two
| young women sat at the table and talked
| freely
The young woman with the bleached hair
said her name was May Thatcher. The de-
| tectives asked her about the incident at the
st. Omer Hotel She corroborated all they
had seen. They then asked her if she had
any objection to coming down to their office
as they would like to use her as a witness
| and if she had any objection to making an
affidavit to the facts which she had related
She had no objection, and the next
day called at the Office as she had promised
| to do.
MIR. Lowell reported the discovery of the
girl to lawyer Richards and was instructed
to keep track of her at all hazards and if
necessary pay her board and room rent
though the expenditure must not exceed $40
week. Mr.. Lowell said he would keep his
eye on her, but suggested that it had better
appear that the money came from him, for
If the young woman knew that the money
came. from Wall street lawyers she might
want more.
The girl with the beached hair lived in
clover for three months as a prospective wit
neS in cross suit for divorce, an Occupa-
ton which furnished her rent and board
When the Sears divorce suit was about TO
be called on the calendar, early in May,
Lawyers Richards, Wightman and May
Thatcher went to Buffalo TO appear. The
case was postponed, but May Thatcher
saw Mr.. Sears the Second time, and de-
clared that she identified him as the
man who accompanied her to the st. Omer
Hotel
About May - Lawyer Richards with
drew from the case, and with his withdrawal